A big part of Search Engine Optimization or SEO is submission to major business directories and social media sites. The list assembled below is SkyPoint’s top 50 business submission sites. Take the time to fill out the profiles completely with accurate and up-to-date information.

Top 50 Free Business Submission Websites

Google My BusinessThe king of internet citations is Google. They recently rolled out a new program called Google My Business. From their website: “Google My Business connects you directly with customers, whether they’re looking for you on Search, Maps or Google+.” This is the most important profile in this list, so focus on making the content here really rich, and complete the profile as much as possible. Adding as many good reviews from high quality Google user profiles, will really influence the value this citation passes to your domain.

Bing PlacesIf Google is the king, then Bing is the prince. Bing is up and coming and deserving of attention from webmasters and businesses. To get started with a business profile on Bing, click the large Get Started button and select the region for your business. Next search for your business by phone or address, if it is not in the current directory, proceed to enter the information. Take the time to make the business description on Bing different than the description on Google, as this will provide the most value from both of these top level citations.

Yahoo! Business DirectoryTHIS IS NOW A PAID LISTING SERVICE!
Yahoo! Business Directory is the less important but still relevant citation that should be built out accurately and completely. The landing page for the directory has a lot of options, the Directory Search Tool is a pretty good tool to check what business listings have been completed for your domain. If you are looking for the free directory, the listing is at the left hand side of the bottom of the page.

YelpYelp is one of the top review sites on the web and can have dramatic impact on websites, especially in the hospitality and travel industries. It’s good to have a thorough profile on Yelp, but it is even more important to get positive reviews from active Yelp members consistently. Additionally, it is a good idea to participate in the Yelp community. Some ways to do this are by reviewing fellow local businesses that you do business with, and reviewing product lines your business uses (the good and the bad of it). Try to do these reviews on a regular basis, the more the better.

Merchant CircleMerchant Circle is a solid business directory that has some of the most detailed business data available in one area. Some of the points of interest is that it will show how many employees and approximately how much revenue a business takes in per year, and other data that can be useful. Part of reconnaissance or investigation of a business target or competitor should include a stop at Merchant Circle. For the part of business directory, just fill in the application as well as possible. Later after the profile has indexed, it is a good idea to come back, log in, and add some content to the profile feed. This can be simply a one sentence chunk to a link on your website.

LinkedInLinkedIn is the top professional business social media and directory site in the world. Why should your business be on LinkedIn? Because this is a high quality citation that can be built into a powerhouse of link authority and also traffic to your website. In partnership with the business listing on LinkedIn, you should consider building the profiles of each important person in your organization, linking the profiles to the business account.

YellowPages.comYellow Pages (YP) is the brand we are all familiar with from those things that used to be dropped off at the front door in a plastic bag, not sure what they are called as been so long since used one lol.. The YP directory is pretty good for the free listing, just make sure to fill it out completely. They try to up sell a variety of services, but really the free listing is typically what most small businesses will need.

Referral KeyReferral Key is a network for business owners that want to network or send referrals to other business owners. It’s not a very popular network and it is not sure whether anyone actually gets any business on it. One thing you can count on though is a backlink to your website. Since the Referral Key website was founded in 2007, that backlink will add some value to your website. Give it a whirl!

WhitepagesWhite Pages is basically a knock off of yellow pages, but does have a personal directory part as well, I’m sure as a hark back to the phone book days that had white pages for people and yellow pages for businesses. Don’t worry about spending too much time here, just make the profile info accurate and the same as all the other profiles.

Super Pages by Dex MediaTHIS IS NOW A PAID LISTING SERVICE!Dex Super Pages are a good citation to have, similarly to Yellow Pages, because of how old the media company is. This passes good authority for well completed profiles. The age of the profile will play into the authority as well, so if you can only complete so much of this list, finish the 1-10 first.

YellowbookYellowbook is another directory listing service that comes from the old book days into the digital world, trying to offer something different, but is just like the others. No need to spend much time here, fill out the profile as complete and accurately as possible. If possible, getting some reviews on this profile will help it to optimize in search results and pass more authority to your domain, which will increase organic search results.

CitySearchCitySearch is a older directory that is supposed to help the visitor locate local places and find businesses in categories. Including your business in this directory is a good idea for the local authority factor. Make sure to complete the contact information in the same detail as the prior profiles. All the data about the business, except for the description, should be exactly the same.

MapquestTHIS IS NOW A PAID LISTING SERVICE!Mapquest has merged with Yext. Their combined database is rather large and has weight on the web due to the length of time it has been active. Complete the location information accurately. Note the Featured Message can be used as a call to action text to lure in the consumer to the description text.

Open Tag Business DirectoryOpen Tag is a general business directory with a rather easy registration process. Not much frill here, just add contact information a short description, confirm account through email address and then publish the listing. The 6 month listing option is free, but you can get a lifetime free account if you are willing to give a link back from your site. Interestingly, it doesn’t require a home page link as most directories do, it does have a display:none style on it so that visitors will not see the link. I would not recommend going this route as having hidden links like that on your site can cause negative SEO to occur. The benefit of a free link on Open Tag is not worth having this ghost link anywhere on your website in my opinion. The free version appears to take 3 to 4 weeks to be approved by their review team, but this is totally worth it. Also, notice that they offer a logo upload option.

Local.comLocal.com is a great citation due to it’s size and the name of the URL which will pass good authority to your domain. The 3 step registration process is a little lengthy but not too bad. Fill out the profile as complete as possible. Set your business address to display if you don’t mind customers stopping by your location.

FoursquareFoursquare is a tech company that uses location smarts to build consumer experiences and business solutions. It also helps potential customers discover new places with recommendations from the community.

ThumbtackThumbtack is a network for pros, millions of customers use Thumbtack technology to find and hire small businesses across the country.

Bright LocalTHIS IS NOW A PAID LISTING SERVICE!Specializing in CitationBurst, Bright Local is a proprietary local directory submission form that allows businesses submit to many different directories at one time.

MojoPagesMojo Pages, also called Local Stacks, allows you to claim your business and allow clients to find you through an effective business profile

SuperPagesSuperpages.com is the local search online resource for finding information and insights on businesses and retailers. They enable consumers to find local business information from driving directions and hours of operation to Web links and customer reviews.

Express UpdateExpress Update is a free service. It sends business info to search engines, car navigation, and other local directories.

CrunchbaseCrunchbase is the leading destination for millions of users to discover industry trends, investments, and news about global companies—from startups to the Fortune 1000.

BizJournals.comBizJournals is a business directory that helps you to find service providers, suppliers, and vendors to make your business better known and more cost effective.

HomeAdvisorA leading nationwide digital home services marketplace to match homeowners and prescreened service professionals.

YellowBotYellowBot is a hyper-local search engine and community discussion resource.

Discover Our TownThis is a simple search engine with a wide selection of cities and towns across the state, letting consumers search for a variety of services including lodging, dining, shopping, and even real estate.

Moz LocalMoz Local makes and maintains business listings on the sites, apps, and directories that appear on most search engines

EZ LocalEZlocal can help you with your SEO, local placement on sites like Google, Yahoo! and Bing, as well as placement on local directories, social networks, online maps and mobile. They operate on 100+ directories.

Angie’s ListAngie’s List is an American home services website. Founded in 1995, it is an online directory that allows users to read and publish crowd-sourced reviews of local businesses and contractors.

Neustar LocalEzeNeustar LocalEze allows you to search business and even purchase services on their site.

KudzuKudzu is an ad service that reaches your specific business prospects.

AxciomAcxiom licenses a broad and publically available range of U.S. and Canadian business and residential listings for online search, mobile, and marketing or directory publishing.

InfignosInfignos is a simple and fast way to submit your business to a keyword directory.

Single PlatformSingle Platform, build especially for local companies, offers services that include updatable listings and customized menus, product and service lists, photos, announcements, and special offers.

Get FaveFave is an extensive categorical search of local businesses and services in most any city in the US. Adding your business is quick and easy.

My HuckleberryMy Huckleberry is a simple search engine for large and small business in your area according to category.

Universal Business ListingUniversal Business Listing is a sites providing a single entry for the distribution of business profiles. It sends verified data to all major search engines

WhitesparkTHIS IS NOW A PAID LISTING SERVICE!Whitespark, a service of Yahoo, that, for a monthly fee, it will list business information on Yahoo Local, Yelp, WhitePages, Bing, and 50+ other directories.

BrownbookBrownbook is a global business service for businesses that also offers SEO, enhanced social media business profiles, and the free ability to claim your business.

Insider PagesInsider Pages was created to help people find the best local businesses through recommendations from their friends and neighbors. At InsiderPages.com, people share reviews of local businesses and find great services they can trust. Millions of people visit our site each month to get the Insider scoop on local businesses.

CitySquaresCity Squares is a guide to your local business where you can read reviews and submit your business.

Map CreatorMap Creator is a new site that lets you add your business to a local map, and even make a map for your website.

Judy’s Book And finally, Judy’s Book is a local search tool with honest reviews that offers advertising as well as other marketing services.

After about two to three weeks after completing the Top 50 challenge, go and check your Google search results for some key terms for your industry and location.

If you do not feel like taking the time to complete all 50 of the Top 50 business submission sites application process, SkyPoint Studios offers this service at an affordable rate. Call 406.208.8733 to learn more or fill out the form located on the contact page.